2nd Place - Pearce Cycles Downhill Series Final Round - 15th/16th September 2012

Event: Pearce Cycles Downhill Series - Round 5

Date: 15th & 16th September 2012

Place: Bringewood, Shropshire

Riding: Empire Cycles AP-1

Saturday - Practice.

This weekend we headed to the final round of the Pearce Cycles race series in sunny Bucknell, Shropshire. I had been here few times before to race the track held by Pearce cycles, the track hadn’t changed since I last rode only a few different lines and jumps. We arrived there Saturday morning to full sunshine and a dusty track, I went up for first run of the day to check the track out, the start was the same as usual over a fire road and into a rooty straight with a bomb hole you could either gap or role, I opted for the gap to keep thing fast and fun. Then into a straight of small jumps which led you up a ski jump, which you could scrub. Then into a large sweeping right hander into two table top jumps, you hit the jumps with a lot of speed and then into a tight left hander, which led into a couple of dusty switchbacks, over a large lump and into two corners. They had been taped so they could be cut out by riding over the top of them. Another rider and myself scoped out that you could send the gap and miss everything out, we both did it without problems apart from landing on a stump. This was a good line, but would cause me to lose the win come race runs. Then into the first woods, which were straight-forward: one switchback then into a straight, which led into a left turn onto off camber roots, in the wet they're hard but in the dry they're fast and easy. Exit the woods and a small step down onto a fire road and back into the last woods, these were longer than the first with fast turns and berms which became rough after a couple of runs, the track winded down until it hit a fast step-down into a rock left turn, over a lump which could be gap from a root just before and over a jump into a drifty left corner and up onto an uphill straight, the straight dropped off into a rocky left turn and exited into long switchbacks. Exit the last switchback and send it of the top of the hill onto the fire road, the road had a natural lip on it which could be gapped off and into the field, then, two sweeping turns and over a hip jump and a straight to cap off to the finish line.

Sunday – Race day.

Sunday I woke to an overcast morning but with no rain, practice started at 8.00 o’clock, I headed up for first run at 8.00 and just cruised down the track to get back into it. I did one more run in the morning which went well, only a small mechanical by bending my chain ring. First race run started at 1.00 o’clock, I was at the top ready to go feeling confident, the track was still bone dry just with a bit of wind in the open parts, top part went well until I hit the open section, that line I had scoped out went well until I overshot the turn causing me to stop and get going again, I tried to make up more time but was making more mistakes, I ended up crossing the line and went into 4th by 1.2 secs, I knew I could win if I would of held that line. Second run went better, with a smoother top half until the open section, on the same line I overshot but even worse, going off track and struggling to get back on, the rest of the run went well and smooth with a few close moments, I came into the finish strong, and crossed the line with a second slower than first run, I was gutted, I knew I would of done a sub 2.00 minute and could of took the win, but that’s racing, As this was the last round the overall was to be decided, as I had missed one round I stood in 5th position overall, as the podiums came around I managed to make up 3 places and take 2nd overall which I was pleased with, many thanks to Pearce Cycles for a great season of racing again.